Photo/Story Gallery 2003

Trailer Load of Contraband

On November 26, 2003, Trooper Mark Rietmann and his K-9 partner Duke (shown left), along with Trooper Joe Mosca stopped a vehicle traveling south on State Road 997 in Miami-Dade County in excess of the posted speed limit.

Following the stop, the troopers became suspicious of the driver’s actions and utilized K-9 Duke to conduct a drug sniff of the vehicle, a pickup truck and a large trailer.

K-9 Duke alerted positive to the presence of drugs in the trailer. A physical search revealed that the trailer had a hidden compartment between two false walls.

Upon further inspection of the trailer, the troopers found that the roof mounted air conditioner was inoperative and disconnected.

This air conditioning unit seemed to sit in the space between the two inner walls. The exterior roof unit was removed and a large welded metal box containing a lid attached with numerous wing nuts was discovered. Removal of the concealed compartment’s cover revealed 1,200 pounds of marijuana, having a street value of approximately $1.2 million.